Middle East crisis Iran war

Report: Pakistan takes on a mediating role in the war

Pakistan is positioning itself as the main mediator between the US and Iran in the war, sources tell the Financial Times.

The country's defense chief Asim Munir is on good terms with both Trump and Tehran. On Sunday, he is said to have spoken by phone with Trump, according to the sources, and on Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Pakistan is said to have offered to host peace talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad. Israel is positive about the initiative and believes that talks can be held as early as this week, according to a source to Reuters.

Turkey and Egypt have also reportedly made some attempts at mediation. Tehran denies Trump's claims that direct talks between the US and Iran have been held, but says that "some friendly states" have heard and conveyed the US message.

Iran: Tonight we crush all hope of negotiations

Iran has "special plans" for Israel tonight, sources close to the regime told state media according to The Telegraph.

The plans - probably missile and drone attacks - will "completely crush the hope of negotiations", according to state media.

Donald Trump announced on Monday that the US is pausing attacks on Iranian energy facilities for five days - according to many analysts a way to try to calm the anxious markets during the trading week.

He also claims that Iran and the US have held negotiations and agreed on important issues. Tehran strongly denies that any talks have taken place and says that the line on the Strait of Hormuz is fixed – no ships from US allies are allowed through.

Sources: US sees Iran's speaker as leadership candidate

The Trump administration sees Iran's speaker Mohammad ⁠Bagher Ghalibaf as a possible partner, and perhaps a future leader, sources in the White House told Politico.

- He is a strong candidate. He is one of the highest-ranking. But we have to know our way around, and we cannot rush, says one of them.

The 64-year-old speaker has repeatedly threatened the US and its allies with revenge, but is nevertheless seen by the US as someone who can potentially negotiate with the White House as the war enters a new phase with a focus on escalation.

Middle East Crisis  Opinions
Analysis: Treasury bonds behind Trump's turnaround

The shaky state of US government bonds is the most likely reason why Trump has backed down on attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure, writes Dominic Waghorn for Sky News.

"Trump seems to have blinked first. Whether it will be a full 'Taco' retreat ('Trump always ducks') or not remains to be seen."

The administration is desperately looking for a way out of the fox-scissors they have created themselves - they can neither afford to let Iran control the Strait of Hormuz nor to sink the global economy with a full-scale energy war in the Persian Gulf, writes Waghorn.

Regardless of whether Trump and Iran have actually held talks or not, the net effect is that the worst possible crisis has now been postponed, writes Frank Gardner for the BBC.

“In addition to the effects on oil prices and the global economy, the human cost would have been enormous, as homes, hospitals and desalination plants risked being without power.”

Middle East Crisis   Voices on
Analysis: Trump has no plan – and you pay

The stock markets are screaming red, petrol prices are soaring, pension money is burning up and we are facing the worst energy crisis since the 1970s, writes Johan Mathias Sommarström in Aftonbladet.

The Trump administration is trying to give the impression that there is a plan behind everything, but there isn’t – and we are the ones paying for the chaos, he continues.

“At the gas pump, through rising food prices and pension funds that are falling in value. And we still don’t know how it will end. Or when. The confusion is almost total.”

In an attempt to keep oil prices under control, Trump is easing sanctions on already inflated Iranian oil – and thereby pouring 130 billion kronor into the enemy’s war chest, writes Ingmar Nevéus in DN.

“The president’s closest advisors are now forced to tie themselves up to explain how these measures should be seen as signs of American success.”

Despite the uncertainty, the market took a leap of joy when Trump today announced a pause in attacks on Iran’s energy facilities.

Investors may think they are gullible, but it’s not that they trust Trump, writes CNN’s Allison Morrow:

“Rather, they see Trump’s statement [...] as a confirmation that the president’s aversion to weak stock market figures means he will not carry out his most extreme threats.”